THE CHINA CONNECTION
Last year, Georgia’s imports from China totaled $15.8 billion, more than from any other country.
Georgia exports more carpets, textile floor covering and poultry to China than any other state. It ranks second in exports of aircraft engines and parts and wood products.
At least 64 Georgia companies have operations in China, including: CDC Software, Ciba Vision, Delta Air Lines, NCR, Home Depot and Coca-Cola.
Source: Georgia Department of Economic Development
Early last year, a large delegation from Taicang, China, stood on the top floor of the “King Tower” on Concourse Parkway looking out at Sandy Springs.
“How much is one acre and a house here?” one asked.
It was no idle inquiry. Sandy Springs has been courting Taicang as a business partner for nearly five years now and local officials say they’re close to tying an economic knot. Possible common ground: health care, used cars and even style of government.
“Any economic growth depends on trade, some kind of trade,” said Mayor Eva Galambos, who has led the courtship. “We’re going to be positioned to catch this trade as it comes.”
With another delegation from Taicang visiting next month, Sandy Springs is one of a number of regional players competing for a foothold in the world’s second largest economy.
Last year, Georgia imported nearly $16 billion in goods and services from China, more than from any other country. The state is already home to nearly 20 Chinese businesses employing more than 375 Georgians.
Sandy Springs has plenty of competition. Gwinnett County has been a steady suitor to the Asian market over the past eight years, establishing strong ties with China’s western city of Chongqing. Among its accomplishments, the county has attracted electronics giants Hisense and Self Electronics to open operations locally.
Sandy Springs’ efforts to establish ties with China go back to 2008, when the city began talks with Taicang that would eventually lead to sister-city status. It was more than a title. As a gesture to her commitment, Galambos approached administrators at North Springs Charter High School to begin classes in Mandarin.
Over the past three years, the curriculum has grown from one entry-level class to six sections of Chinese. Today, about 100 students take entry level Chinese, Chinese 2 or advanced honors level Chinese.
Last year, four North Springs students participated in a student exchange with six Taicang students, the first cultural exchange between the two cities.
Beyond cultural ties, Sandy Springs is touting its model of government, substituting private companies for traditional government departments. Outside of police and fire, the bulk of the city’s work, from filling potholes to issuing licenses, is contracted out to private firms at a competitive price.
The system seems a blueprint for China’s recent push for greater efficiency in its cities and towns, Galambos said.
“Even though it is a communist country, they do believe in competition,” she said.
Earlier this year, Councilman Tibby DeJulio traveled as a guest to Beijing’s Great Hall, where he laid out the benefits of the public/private system to hundreds of Chinese government officials.
More recently, the Sandy Springs business community conducted a trade mission to Taicang to discuss local companies that provide services to fill China’s current needs. During a one-week visit this month, businessman James Comerford and Chamber of Commerce President Tom Mahaffey covered an array of topics, including health care.
With three major hospitals employing 24,000 people, Sandy Springs has a wealth of consulting services that could help develop a care system for China’s burgeoning senior population, Comerford said. Opportunities for partnerships, training programs and ancillary businesses could grow from that, he said.
Another area for possible development is the car market, he said. Sandy Springs is headquarters for Auto Trader, the largest online classified automotive site in the United States. China lacks is logistical services to connect its population to used cars, Comerford said.
In a whirlwind tour through the country, exploring trade routes and transportation systems, the Georgians were impressed by the explosive pace of growth China is sustaining, albeit without affording their citizens the property rights as in the U.S.
“When you get past the ‘wow’ stage, you look at how they’re accomplishing it and how they’re doing it is unlike the American system,” Comerford said. “But we believe trade and commerce, as it has in other parts of the world, will lead to greater freedoms.”
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